Many higher power density batteries and battery cells are cooled by direct mechanical contact of their outer housings to a heat sink, heat sink surface, or liquid. In these situations, there may be inefficient transfer of the heat from the inside of the cell to the heat sink, as the cell structure is intrinsically a non-homogeneous laminated structure. The heat must also pass through the exterior of the cell housing. This situation is made worse if the cell housing material is a plastic, ceramic or laminate having poor thermal conductivity.
Current methods for heating and cooling of cells require significant space between cells and, in the case of liquid cooling, the cell enclosure materials need to have adequate properties if the system has a lengthy service life. As an example, the use of circulating liquid coolants requires ancillary equipment that has a service life much lower than the service life of the battery. Also, in the same circulating liquid method, the degradation of the cooling liquid characteristics and the corrosion resulting from the materials interaction reduces the service life of the system.
Accordingly, there is a need to develop a method to enhance the transfer of heat that is generated within the cell to an exterior of the cell of battery housing.